The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for detecting unsafe flying conditions, and more particularly, systems and methods for detecting erroneous air speed indication.
Loss of control is recognized as a leading cause of commercial aircraft accidents, and in particular, commercial jet aircraft accidents. Air speed is a critical parameter in maintaining controlled flight, and the loss of the ability to receive accurate air speed measurements is a frequent cause of accidents resulting from aircraft traveling at air speeds that are above or below a desired range.
Aircraft typically measure air speed using a sensor that includes a pitot tube. Air speed measurements utilizing a pitot tube may become erroneous as a result of icing of the pitot tube opening, sensor port clogging due to volcanic ash, and bird strikes on air data sensors. Other failures that may give rise to erroneous air speed indication may include hardware failures, such as radome collapse, air data computer or air data transducer failures, and maintenance issues such as pneumatic line leaks or pitot probe covers not being removed by maintenance crew.
Regardless of the cause, when such unreliable air speed readings occur, it is incumbent upon the flight crew to recognize the condition in order to maintain a condition of continued safe flight and landing (CSFL). However, detection of erroneous air speed indication is not a straightforward task. Aircraft manufacturers have produced flight manuals that list up to twenty flight deck effects that might indicate unreliable air speed readings. It is therefore necessary for the flight crew to remember the indications that are connected with an unreliable air speed condition.
Currently, on commercial aircraft, the flight crew must recognize an unreliable air speed situation based upon the training of the members of the flight crew, prior experience, and information available in flight manuals for the aircraft in question. One such manual is a quick reference manual that may include a table containing data specific to a particular aircraft model. However, flight crews are trained to refer to such data tables only after they have detected conditions that they suspect indicate that the air speed readings may be inaccurate. Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system that may detect possible erroneous air speed indication data and alert a flight crew without the flight crew having to monitor data.